It’s My Quinceanera, I’ll Switch If I Want To
by writerchic16
Summary: An AU version of Quinceanera. When Alex first casts the body switch spell on her and her mother, her powers don’t switch with her. The party goes a little differently after that as both mother and daughter adjust to the situation.
1. Part I

It's My Quinceanera, I'll Switch If I Want To

Summary: An AU version of Quinceanera. When Alex first casts the body switch spell on her and her mother, her powers don't switch with her. Can Theresa cast the reversal spell before they're trapped in each others' bodies forever?

A/N: I loved the episode, but I was somewhat disappointed since the writers took the easy way out at every turn. This is how I would've written the episode, startng from the first dressing room scene.

And, yes, the first section of this was dialogue lifted right from the episode. The AU starts shortly after. Also, I'd like some feedback on characterization. This is one of my first attempts at a WOWP fic, and as I would like to write more I want to know how I'm doing. Thanks!

* * *

**Part I**

Alex stared at the reflection of herself with disgust. Was this really her? The puff, the beaded top, the slippers on her feet…she felt like a princess, and that wasn't a good thing. The reaction stemmed from when she was little, and she and her brothers played while they watched Disney movies. Her brothers would of course try to make her be Cinderella or Snow White since she was the girl, but in the end she'd always get her way and force one of them to act the part while she got to have the adventure.

Yet here she was, ten years later, in a dress just as puffy as Cinderella's ball gown. And at least Snow White didn't have to wear pink.

Her mom better appreciate this.

Because that was the only reason she'd agreed to put the dress on in the first place. If she hadn't just conveniently learned the body switch spell, over her dead body would she have allowed this Quinceanera to happen.

As if the dress wasn't enough, her mother came behind her and stuck a pink tulle veil in her hair. "You look beautiful!" Theresa said, fixing the tulle around Alex's dark hair.

The effect was stunning, but all Alex could see was more pink puff. "Yeah, pink and puffy…" Alex replied, trying to sound optimistic. "_Really_ pink and puffy." Unable to stand the itchy clip in her hair, she took out the veil.

While her mother gave her a disapproving frown, Alex decided that right then was as good a time as any to cast the spell. "But it's okay," Alex said, "Because I'm not going to be the one wearing it – you are."

As her mother stared at her with confusion, she began the spell, "Alex, Theresa, Cambia Corporum…"

"Wait a minute, are you doing magic?" Theresa exclaimed, recognizing the sound of a spell. She tried to hold out her arms to stop her daughter…

…but Alex was already done. "…Meum Corpora Sua Nominavi!"

Alex brought her hands together and felt the familiar tingle of magic leaving her body for a spell. By the time she pulled her hands apart, the spell was cast and she was looking at herself. The sensation was odd, but her plan had worked. Satisfied, she crossed her arms and grinned at her stunned mother.

"Wha…" Theresa, in Alex's body, sputtered once the spell was complete. "Why am I looking at myself?"

Unable to help being a little smug, Alex replied, "Well, you may be looking at yourself on the inside, but it's me on the inside!" And then…she waved. She had to do it. "Hi mom!"

Shocked, Theresa replied, "Y-you're…you're in my body?"

"Yep. And you're in my body," Alex answered, relaxing in the dressing room's chair. This was actually kind of fun. Too bad the spell couldn't last past sunset. _It'd be awesome to be the one handing out the punishments, for once,_ Alex thought, feeling some remorse for the fun she could've had with this spell. But she was enjoying the moment too much for the thought to bring her down.

Pointing for emphasis, Theresa yelled, "You are grounded as soon as you get back in this body because I am not…grounding…myself…" She trailed off, realizing how odd the words sounded. Throwing up her hands in frustration, she began pacing the room. "Alexandra Margarita Russo, you promised you wouldn't do magic while your grandmother's visiting!"

_When in doubt, go for the full name use. Very effective,_ Alex thought, feeling her heart speed up like it usually did when she was first in trouble. But she got over it since this time she had an excuse. "But Mom, I know you're mad, just hear me out! This is the only way you can enjoy the quince-noma you always wanted! And then if you're mad, punish me, it's okay." Alex was banking on the guess that her mother would be so overwhelmed for her Quinceanera that she'd forget all about punishment.

Theresa let out an exasperated sigh. "It's quince_anera_!"

For a second Alex thought her plan had backfired, but then her mother turned around and looked in the mirror. "Oh my gosh, I love this dress, I'm so pink and puffy! I'm fifteen again!"

"That's right, Mom! You're fifteen again!" Alex paused at that. "Oh, I'm sorry…"

Much to Alex's surprise, Theresa replied, "Don't be sorry! This is fantastic! I'm having a Quinceanera…you think we can pull this off?"

"Trust me, it would not be the first time I got away with magic," Alex scoffed, picking at her now-long manicure, forgetting for the moment that she was talking to her mother. When Theresa turned around and raised an eyebrow, Alex quickly said, "I mean it would totally be the first time."

--

Theresa chose to ignore that and went back to the mirror. "This is amazing! You know, when I was fifteen I was _so_ upset that we couldn't afford a Quinceanera. I sulked through my whole fifteenth birthday even though my parents had given me a small party for me and my friends in the backyard. I wish I could go back and tell myself that everything will work out…" she paused, then glanced back at Alex. "That does _not_ give you permission to cast a time travel spell."

"Eh, don't worry about it. We haven't even learned long-range time travel yet," Alex answered, getting up to stand next to her mother. "And I highly doubt thirty seconds would do anything for fifteen-year-old you…hey, you know what, I look pretty good." She titled her head, looking at herself wearing the formerly repulsive dress. "I mean, it was totally too girly when I wore it, but you can pull it off."

"You do realize that this is the same body, right?" Theresa asked, still looking in the mirror. She grabbed the tulle veil from a nearby table and began reapplying it to her hair. "Anyway, you do know that this is just a one-time thing, right? Don't think this means that from now on you can use magic whenever it suits you, because your father…" She stopped fixing the veil as her eyes widened. "Oh, your father. Jerry is _not_ going to be happy about this."

Alex waved a dismissive hand. "Please, he's so upset over me 'becoming a woman' and all that he'll barely notice. And if he says you're acting too mature, just…say you're 'embracing your womanhood' or something like that."

Raising an eyebrow, Theresa replied, "You came up with that a _little_ too fast, Alex."

"I know, it's a talent," Alex said, grinning.

"Very funny. I don't know, on one hand I know you weren't supposed to do this, but on the other, it's just _so_ wonderful being fifteen, I just feel…" Theresa hesitated, putting her hands on her hips. "You know, I feel strange. I mean, there's the expected shock of being in your body, but then…there's something else that I can't put my finger on."

Alex was barely listening, trying to stretch the fabric of her blue…note, not pink, thank goodness…dress to make it a little more comfortable. "Hm?"

Thinking Alex was listening, Theresa continued, "I don't know, it's…it's like there's this energy going through my body, like an electric current only…more subtle." Offhandedly, she remarked, "Maybe it's what being a wizard feels like."

Her hand on her dress strap, Alex froze. _What did she just say?_ "Huh…I'm sorry, what?"

'Well, I _am_ in your body, right? It makes sense that I would get your powers," Theresa reasoned, turning away from the mirror to face Alex.

"No no no no no, that doesn't make sense! It makes…no sense! It's a no sense maker!" Alex exclaimed, her heart beginning to pound with panic. _And the plan was going so well,_ she thought. "Y-you…you're not supposed to have my powers! That's not how it worked when I switched bodies with Dad!"

Putting reassuring hands on Alex's shoulders, Theresa said, "Honey, calm down. Maybe it's just a side effect of the spell." She paused as Alex's words sank in. "You really switched places with Jerry? When? Why didn't I notice?"

"It was only for like a half hour and I went shopping," Alex explained in a normal voice. Then it became high-pitched again and exclaimed, "What are we going to do now? I need my powers to reverse the spell! If we don't switch back by sundown we'll be stuck like this for the rest of our lives!"

Theresa crossed her arms. "Alex, whatever happens, panic won't do any…did you just say _for the rest of our lives_?" When Alex nodded, Theresa began to panic. "You've got to switch us back!"

"But I _can't_ because you have my powers!" Alex repeated. Then she made a concentrated effort to take a few deep breaths. "Okay, you know what, you're right, panic won't get us anywhere. Like you said, maybe you don't even have my powers. Try a spell."

"You want _me_ to cast a spell?" Theresa asked.

The effect was almost comical, since Alex couldn't imagine herself ever saying those words in that manner. "Yeah. Let's try something simple, like… Edgebonoutoosis."

"Edge-what-o you sis?" Theresa asked, not used to pronouncing spells.

Alex sighed. "Edge_bonoutoosis_. It's the spell to duplicate stuff. I used it a while ago, when…" she trailed off, realizing she'd been about to tell her mother about the very punishable act of duplicating herself. "…when Dad asked us practice it in class. You know, maybe we should stick to make-'em-up spells for now." After thinking for a few seconds, she said, "Okay, repeat after me: Since I care about my daughter, in my hand I want a cup full of water."

Nodding, Theresa held her hands out in a dramatic fashion and chanted, "'Since I care about my daughter, in my hand I want a cup full of water.'" She gasped in surprise when a cup of water appeared in her hand. "Wow! That was amazing! How…wait, what does caring about my daughter have to do with water?"

"It rhymed, and I'm thirsty," Alex said, grabbing the glass from her and taking a long sip.


	2. Part II

A/N: This is the second of a total of six parts to this story. It's meant to be a short alternative to the episode, which is why every "chapter" is shorter than my chapters usually are.

* * *

**Part II**

Finishing off the glass of water, Alex took a moment to assess the situation. _Okay, maybe it's not so bad,_ she thought. _After all, Mom was able to cast this spell, right? Why shouldn't she be able to cast the body switch spell?_ But Alex knew she was kidding herself. It took a certain amount of magical control and concentration to cast spells, often learned by a wizard the first few weeks or so after first receiving his or her powers. Her mother only had Alex's powers for five minutes.

But it was still worth a shot. Anything was better than…

"I don't like this, Alex…" Theresa said, going back to pacing. "I want a Quinceanera, but not when I could be stuck as a fifteen-year-old! My teenage years were tough enough the first time around! We have to tell your father."

Alex tried to keep her anxiety down. While she knew her mother would get behind her plan, her father… Well, she had a feeling that the blatant use of unapproved magic would overshadow any selflessness of the act. And in this case, she doubted even having her mother on her side would help. "No! We can't!" Alex protested. At her mother's reluctant face, she added, "I mean, uh, let's just see if you can cast the spell first. If you can, we'll switch back and you can enjoy the Quinceanera you've always wanted."

"I still think we should tell Jerry," Theresa said, hesitant to be convinced.

Out of persuasive ideas, Alex said, "You know, I only did this for you. If you tell Dad, I'm taking you down with me." Feigning tears and a pout, Alex mocked what she'd say. "'D-Daddy, I wanted to tell you, but Mom wanted a Quinceanera!'"

"Don't push it," Theresa warned her. "Besides, he'll know you caused trouble the second 'Daddy' comes out of your mouth. We catch on to your tricks."

About to protest, Alex just shook her head. "Yeah, you're right, the 'Daddy' thing is a little over the top. But just _try_ the spell!"

"Alright, fine, I'll do it," Theresa said. Letting out a deep sigh, she focused her concentration and mimicked Alex's hand movements. "Alex, Theresa…what was that spell again?"

"Cambia Corporum Meum Corpora Sua Nominavi," Alex supplied without hesitation.

Theresa stared at her as if Alex were trying to teach her a foreign language. "Okay, you're going to have to say that again."

More slowly, Alex began, "Cambia Corporum…"

"Cambia Corporum…" Theresa repeated.

"Meum Corpora…"

"Meum Corpora…"

"Sua Nominavi."

"Sua No…" Theresa trailed off. "You lost me."

"And one more time," Alex said. "But only if you realize that you can't give me a hard time about mispronouncing Spanish words without being hypocritical."

"Ha ha ha. Just tell me," Theresa urged. When Alex repeated the spell, she made the hand gestures again and said, "Alex, Theresa, Cambia Co…rporum…Meum Corpora…Sua…Nominavi."

There was a flash of light, and both Alex and Theresa closed their eyes in anticipation. After a second, Alex opened them…and sighed with disappointment. It hadn't worked. "I thought this would happen. Man, I am so dead!"

"Wait, I don't get it, why didn't it work? It worked when you were the one casting it," Theresa said, staring at her…well, Alex's…clasped hands in confusion.

"But you've only had my powers for five minutes! You don't know how to use them!" Alex explained.

Offended, Theresa replied, "Hey! I did that water glass appearing spell!"

Making a noise as if to say "so what," Alex answered, "Please, even Max could conjure a glass of water when he first got his powers."

"Well, okay, but I still think that was a pretty good attempt for someone who's normally human," Theresa retorted.

Trying to think of options, Alex said, "Okay, okay, we can fix this…we can..." She whirled around and snapped her fingers. "I've got it! My wand!

"What about your wand?" Theresa asked.

"Wands are like…spell training wheels. Maybe if you used one along with the spell hand movements, the spell will be easier to cast," Alex said.

Nodding in agreement, Theresa replied, "Alright, then, where is it?"

"I think I brought it…" Alex trailed off as she got out her backpack and rummaged through it. She'd filled it with stuff to keep her occupied in the hour or so before the party. Looking under tabloid magazines and her MP3 player, she realized that her wand was not in the bag. Glancing up, she gave her mother a weak smile. "Uh oh."

"You lost your wand? Alex, how many times do your father and I have to tell you to be careful where you leave your wand?" Theresa yelled.

Turning to her mother, she explained, "Relax. I know exactly where it is." At Theresa's look, she once again smiled sheepishly. "I, uh, left it at home. In the lair." When her mother groaned with frustration, Alex argued, "But you said no magic when Grandma was visiting, so I listened! At first…"

"Oh, yeah, that lasted," Theresa retorted. "Well, we're just going to have to run home and get it."

"You're not running in _that_ dress. I'll have to go. You're going to have to stay here – people will wonder what's up if I'm missing," Alex said.

"But Jerry will wonder where I am too," Theresa pointed out.

"I guess we could make an excuse…eh, it's just easier to ask Justin to borrow his wand. You'll have to do that," Alex replied, opening the door. "Come on, let's go get this over with before the party starts."

* * *

Going into the hallway, Alex and Theresa bumped into Harper. Alex momentarily forgot who's body she was in and said, "Uh, hey Harper. What's up?"

"Uh…I came to ask Alex if she was ready for her dad to introduce her," Harper replied, confused at "Theresa's" uncharacteristic greeting. "Well, are you Alex?"

"Right, that's me," Theresa said before she could catch herself. When Harper raised an eyebrow, Theresa quickly added, "Uh, yeah, I'm ready. B-But I need to ask Justin…my brother… something first."

"Oh, you're probably nervous about the dance," Harper reasoned, oblivious to "Alex's" confused expression. "Don't worry, I'm sure Justin will be great. He's so great at everything!"

Alex rolled her eyes while her mother realized Harper's crush on Justin. "Y-yeah, that's it," Theresa fibbed. "But I'd still rather talk to him."

"But you can't go in. You're the Quinceanera girl, and you have to be introduced," Harper argued.

As Theresa was about to object, Alex interrupted, "Harper, you're absolutely right. Mo…I mean, Alex…why don't you let Da…Jerry…introduce you now?" At Theresa's confused look, Alex hinted, "_So that you can talk to Justin after_?"

"Oh, right! Let's go! I can't wait for _my_ Quinceanera!" Theresa exclaimed, getting swept up in the moment. "I just love saying that! _My _Quinceanera! I love being fifteen!"

"I knew she'd come around," Harper said as she watched "Alex" run down the hall towards the banquet room. "But I wonder why she had a change of heart."

Alex smirked. "You'd be surprised." At Harper's bewildered look, Alex said, "Well, you would," then walked down the hall after her overjoyed mother.


	3. Part III

**Part III**

After her mother made her entrance, Alex sat at a table close to the action with Harper. She kept an eye on her mother, happy that her mom was enjoying herself, being so blissfully immature that people believed she _was_ fifteen. But Alex did notice that once in a while her father would give "his daughter" confused looks, like when Theresa would be nice to a relative he knew Alex couldn't stand, or if she, again, expressed her love for her "beautiful" pink dress.

Still, Alex grinned and said to Harper, "Alex is really having fun, isn't she?" And really that was all that mattered. Her father would _never_ suspect that his wife would let Alex get away with a body switching spell.

"Yeah, she is…which I totally don't get. I mean, I fully take credit for it since I've been trying to convince her all week. But, this is a little more than I expected," Harper said.

Alex shrugged. "She's a teenager, this is a party. It was only a matter of time."

"I guess so," Harper replied, still unconvinced but unable to come up with an argument. Instead, she did a double-take between "Alex" and Jerry, and "Theresa" sitting next to her. "I don't mean to sound rude, Mrs. Russo, but….shouldn't you be over there greeting family? You don't have to keep me company, I'll just wait until Alex is done."

"Oh, no, I…" Alex paused, realizing how awkward this must be for Harper. She'd stuck to her best friend's side ever since her mother went running down the hallway. It only made sense that Harper would be uncomfortable having an adult hang around her. Alex completely understood – there were times when even _she_ couldn't wait for her mother to leave her alone. "You know what, you're right. Sorry, I was just…letting Alex and her father enjoy the moment. You know how close they are. Jerry's been taking this whole 'Alex becoming a woman' thing a little hard."

Afraid that she'd sounded insulting, Harper's face turned red. "Oh, I'm sorry! That's really nice of you."

"It's okay. I'm actually going to go over and give Alex a break now," Alex said, standing up from her chair. Looking around the room, she smiled and bent down and added, "And why don't you go talk to that boy over there? He's Alex's cousin, very nice, and last I heard, single."

Harper perked up, too enthused at the prospect of a boyfriend to notice how odd it was that Alex's mom was giving her romance advice. "I think I will! Thanks, Mrs. Russo! You're sure Alex won't mind?"

"Oh, I'm sure," Alex answered, chuckling at the irony of the question while Harper ran to cross the room. Satisfied when she saw Harper timidly strike up a conversation with her cousin, she then kept her word and headed over to her father and mother. While normally she would've used the situation to her advantage and avoided the most family she could, she figured that she'd give her mother opportunity to ask Justin about the wand. "So, how's it going?"

Putting an arm around "his wife," Jerry asked, "Surprisingly well. Where have you been?"

"Yes, I was wondering that too," Theresa added, her voice and narrowed eyes making it clear that she wasn't happy about Alex skipping family obligation.

While Jerry wondered about "his daughter's" unusual annoyance – after all, why would she care if her mother was there or not – Alex quickly replied, "Oh, uh, I thought you two could use some bonding time. You know, since Jerry is taking this so hard."

At the mere mention of the subject, Jerry whined, "My little girl is growing up!" and proceeded to cry into who he thought was his wife's shoulder.

Patting her father's back in reassurance with one hand, Alex mouthed to her unconvinced mother, _Go get the wand_. She used her free hand to mimic casting a spell with said magical instrument. When Theresa nodded and Jerry straightened up to compose himself, Alex suggested, "Hey, _Alex_, why don't you go take a break and talk to Justin? You said something about _wanting to ask him a question_? I'll cover for you here."

"Thanks _Mom_. I'll see you later," Theresa replied, going off in the direction of her son.

Surprised, Jerry said, "I thought you would've made her suffer a little more."

"Well, I decided to give her a break since she really came around," Alex replied.

Jerry nodded. "That's true. I don't think I'll ever get used to Alex expressing her love for pink. _That's _new."

"Teenagers, what can you do with them," Alex said, trying not to laugh. The idea of her liking that girly pink dress would even shock _her_…if it was true, anyway. Her gaze drifting over the crowd, her eyes widened when she saw someone she didn't expect to see. "I-Is that Unc…is that Kelbo?" She waved when he caught her eye.

Expecting his wife to be angry, Jerry waved as well and said through a fake smile, "Okay, I know you said no magical relatives because of the risk of exposure and all that, but it's _Kelbo_! He's Alex's favorite uncle! I had to invite him!"

"Awesome! I want to go say hi!" Alex exclaimed before she could catch herself. At Jerry's bewildered look, she said, "I-I mean, it's definitely okay. Of course you had to invite him." Figuring she should say something Theresa-like for good measure, Alex added, "But just make sure he doesn't use any magic while he's here. The last thing we want is chaos because Kelbo turned my mother into a sea monkey."

"He wouldn't…hah, that would be _really_ funny…" Jerry said, a smile on his face as he imagined the scene in his mind. Shaking his head, he continued, "B-But totally inappropriate. I'll go talk to him. You coming?"

"Yeah, sure," Alex replied, going to follow her father. However, as Jerry reached Kelbo, her grandmother pulled her aside. "Oh, uh, hi grand…mama. Hi mama!"

Magdalena tilted her head in confusion, but waved a dismissive hand and went on with what she had to say. "Whatever. Theresa, I need to ask you a favor."

"What is it?" Alex asked. She was curious herself, wondering what her grandmother would need from her mother.

Giving her a sheepish grin, Magdalena explained, "Okay, don't be mad, but I haven't exactly gotten Alex a present yet…can you just put my name on whatever you gave her? I promise I'll get her something later."

"You didn't get me a present?" Alex exclaimed, her disappointment making her forget that she shouldn't be feeling as such.

"I know, I'm sorry, I…" Magdalena trailed off as she realized what "Theresa" just said. "What do you mean, why didn't I get _you_ a present?"

Thinking fast, Alex said, "Uh…well, you know, Alex and I are so close these days I…imagine what she'd say in my head and it just comes out." To herself, she muttered, "Yeah, that's it."

"Whatever. So, can I?" Magdalena asked.

Alex was about to agree when she got a brainstorm. Grinning, she said, "Well, sure, I can do that for you. But…I think, and this is what _I_ as your daughter, not Alex, am thinking…you should _probably_ get her a _really_ expensive present since you forgot."

"But why would I bother if she doesn't know I forgot?" Magdalena asked.

"Well, she's a smart girl, I think she'll figure it out when she sees your name on a card from her parents," Alex reasoned. Taking a shot in the dark, she added, "Did you get Jerry anything for his birthday last year?"

Thinking about that, the answer was obvious when Magdalena avoided the question and said, "So, a _really_ expensive present. Any idea what she'd want?"

Alex smiled wide and nodded. "Oh, yeah."

* * *

Meanwhile, Theresa weaved her way through the crowd of guests toward her eldest son, who was talking with her youngest son at the buffet table. _Those two have been acting oddly_, she thought, noting that they've been talking to each other in a conspirational manner ever since she came into the room. Sneaking up on them, she greeted, "Hey, guys, what's going on?"

Much to her amusement, her sons each jumped about a foot in the air. "Don't _do_ that!" Max exclaimed.

"What're you doing talking to us? Shouldn't you, uh, be talking to guests, Quinceanera girl?" Justin asked, giving her a weak attempt at a smile.

"This party's so boring, I thought I'd see what you two were whispering about," Theresa said. She gave herself a mental pat on the back for sounding like her daughter for once.

Glancing at his brother first, Max stuttered, "W-Well, we _weren't_ talking about the great Quinceanera gift we got you."

"Max! Now she's going to _know_ we were talking about her present. Nice one," Justin retorted.

Theresa tried not to laugh. The display was a pathetic example of overacting. Deciding not to bug them about it, she turned to Justin. "Hey, Justin, can I borrow your wand? Please? I promise you'll have it back by the end of the party."

Raising an eyebrow at her, Justin replied, "Well, as shocked as I am that you actually _asked_ and didn't steal it, the answer will still have to be a big _no_."

"What? Why?" Theresa exclaimed, aware that her panic had flared up again. They _needed_ a wand.

"Like I'm gonna give my wand to _you_," Justin answered, a smug look on his face. "Who knows what _you_ need a wand for? What prank are you going to pull, huh? Or do you need it to get out of here? No, it's much easier keeping it to myself and _not_ worrying about why you need a wand."

"B-but…" Theresa trailed off, unused to this treatment from her son. "But you can't! I-I need it to…need it to…"

"Forget it. Oh, and by the way, don't think I can't see that you're just dying to mess with that body switch spell we just learned," Justin replied.

_Too late for that_, Theresa thought, letting out an exasperated sigh. "Max? What about you? Please?"

"No way. I'm still need to get you back for putting blueberry jelly in my bed to match my sheets. And _then_ taking out my light bulb so that I couldn't see it when I went to lie down," Maxsaid.

Theresa shook her head. _Oh, Alex_, she thought. _So _that's_ why Max was washing his sheets a week ago._ "Fine, be that way," she sighed, reminding herself to act like Alex. Walking away, she muttered to herself, "We'll handle this on our own."


	4. Part IV

**Part Iv**

After giving her demands to her grandmother and talking to her uncle Kelbo, Alex was in a good mood as she made her way over the buffet table. She'd managed to wheedle out of Kelbo that he got "Alex" upgrades for her laptop, which she'd been wanting for a while. The item itself didn't sound like something Kelbo would give her and she told him so. But he let slip that one of the upgrades was a security system that turned the intruder into a rat, and Alex, as her mother, had a hard time concealing her excitement. She couldn't wait until one of her brothers tried to use her laptop without permission.

She didn't try to get herself too worried about the impending switch. After her mother failed to get a wand from either of her brothers, they'd decided that they would take a break from switching back since there was nothing they could do at the moment. The big dance between "Alex" and her brothers was coming up and neither could sneak out without being noticed. Alex, as Theresa, supposed she could, but it would look highly suspicious to her father if she was missing…after all, she was the one who was excited about all these Quinceanera traditions in the first place.

Wandering over to the buffet table, she smiled when she saw the dessert out already. _Mmm, cupcakes!_ She thought. She was about to make a beeline for it when she was intercepted by Justin and Max. Frustrated, she snapped without thinking, "What do you two want?"

"Oh, uh, sorry Mom," Justin answered, giving her an apologetic yet confused look. "What's the matter? You okay?"

Alex shook her head to calm herself and answered, in the most casual manner she could, "Yes, son, I am fine. What is it that you and my youngest child want to ask me?"

"We need to confess something!" Max blurted, too anxious to notice the odd question.

_This ought to be good,_ Alex thought, smiling. It was probably about what her brothers had been whispering over all day. "Well, I do always say that you kids should be honest with your father and I. What is it?"

Squirming from nerves, Justin answered, "I-I, uh, we…it wasn't our fault! Grandma took us out of our dance lessons, and now we don't even know how to do the Macarena!"

"Actually, I know how to do that. Mom taught me at a family party once," Max replied. He began to do the dance, putting both hands face down as he began. "See, you put both your arms out, and then you…"

"Max, I don't care about how to do the Macarena! We need to learn the salsa in about five minutes!" Justin exclaimed.

Alex rolled her eyes and groaned. _You nimrods!_ She thought. But rather than lose her cool and let her brothers in on the switch, which she would never hear the end of, she said, "Boys, I cannot believe you didn't tell me until now! What are you going to do, go out there and make idiots of both yourselves and your sister?" _Wow, that was pretty good,_ she thought, giving herself an imaginary pat on the back.

"I know, we're sorry!" Max insisted. "But Grandma said she would teach us everything we needed to know, and she didn't!"

"Yeah!" Justin replied. "Instead, she went off trying to get Alex a Quinceanera present…oops…"

Waving a dismissive hand, Alex said, "I know all about that and took care of it." But in that moment, she felt sorry for her brothers. They weren't the only ones to be victims of her grandmother's irresponsibility. "Okay, look, um…maybe we can make it a joke, you know? Instead of this big, important dance, we'll just do the Macarena! Everyone will think it's hilarious."

Justin looked at her, confused that his mother would be so willing to turn the important tradition into a joke. "Are you serious?"

"But there's a problem with that. Justin here doesn't know how to do the Macarena," Max pointed out.

"Oh, that's no problem, I can teach you that!" Alex replied, getting into position and beginning the dance. "See? It's like the Spanish version of the Hokey Pokey, except when you're supposed to turn yourself about, you shake your…"

"Al…I mean, _Mom_!" Theresa exclaimed, running across the dance floor. "What are you doing? You're embarrassing _me_!" She added, stressing the 'me' and making it clear that she meant in both senses of the word.

Giving her a weak grin, Alex turned to her brothers and said, "Excuse me a minute, I'll be right back. Max, you keep teaching Justin." Once they went to a private corner, she asked, "Hey, Mom, what's up? Having fun at your Quinceanera?"

"Oh, don't you be innocent with me. Why were you doing the Macarena?" Theresa demanded.

Alex let out a nervous chuckle and replied, "Because it's fun and entertaining?"

"Alexandra Margarita –"

"Alright, alright, stop middle-naming me!" Alex interrupted. "Okay, Grandma took the guys out of the dance class, telling them that she'd teach them herself, but she never did and now those two clowns have no idea what they're going to do for the dance! I figured rather than make all three of you look like idiots, we'd turn it into a joke."

Massaging her forehead with one hand, Theresa put her other on her hip and replied, "Your grandmother is in _so_ much trouble when I am back in my body. But for now, no, you can't do that. While it's a good idea, I don't think the family will appreciate turning a long-standing tradition into a joke." Crossing her arms, she said, "I can't believe I'm about to ask you this, but…is there some kind of dancing spell your brothers can use?"

Alex's jaw dropped as she stared at her mother. "_Wow_, Mom, letting us getting away with two spells in one day? I'm impressed!"

"Thanks, but if you tell your father I swear I'll deny it!" Theresa promised.

Laughing, Alex was about to go tell her brothers the good news when she stopped. "Uh, I think you better go – if I just randomly tell them they can use magic…"

"Hey, why are we keeping this a secret from _them_? They can't get us in trouble," Theresa replied.

The idea just occurring to her as well, Alex shrugged. "Okay, that works too."

* * *

Theresa and Alex went over to the boys, who were practicing the Macarena as they approach. "Hey, boys –" Theresa began.

"Mom! I think I'm getting the hang of this!" Justin exclaimed. When he shook his butt and turned around, he nearly fell when he realized his sister was with her. "Oh, uh, hi Alex, we were just…"

Alex sighed and interrupted, "Yeah, yeah, she knows, you're busted."

"But why did you tell her when she was the one person we were trying to keep it from?" Max asked.

"Because the person you were trying to keep it from already knows," Theresa answered. "Alex used the body switch spell."

Justin's jaw fell in shock while Max stared at them in confusion. "Why did you call yourself Alex, Alex?"

"Alex and Mom are in each other's bodies, you egghead!" Justin explained. "We've been talking to Alex this whole time!"

"Oh…_oh_ man, Alex, you're not mad, are you? We were afraid you'd play a mean prank on us when we made you look stupid in front of our entire family," Max said.

Alex shook her head. "No, it's okay, I understand. But I'm not about to let myself look stupid either, which is why _Mom_ suggested you use some type of dancing spell."

"_Mom's_ telling us to use magic? It's a world gone mad!" Justin said, staring at his mother with wide eyes.

"Hey, don't get used to it," Theresa warned him. "This is a special and…_weird_…situation."

Thinking the situation over, Justin asked, "So _Mom_ was actually asking us for our wands before? Why? You don't need a wand to cast this spell."

Theresa glanced down at her feet, a little ashamed to admit her magical failure in front of her three wizard children. "I, uh…I can't do it. The spell, it's…it's too hard, since I've only had Alex's powers for…"

"Wait, _you_ have Alex's powers?" Max said. "I thought Dad said…"

"I know, I know, but for some reason it worked like that. I thought if Mom had a wand the spell would be a little easier," Alex explained.

Lost in his own thoughts, Max exclaimed, "So, wait, I told _Mom_ about the jelly Alex put in my bed…yes, payback!"

"Max!" Alex yelled.

"We'll talk Alex's prank habit later. Right now, you boys have some dance spell casting to do," Theresa interrupted, not quite believing she'd just said those words.

As the three kids thought of a good spell, Max said, "Too bad we can't use that body switch spell we just learned, huh?"

Justin was about to respond, then his gaze fell on the two dance instructors sitting at a table across the room. "Who says we can't?"

Once Max caught on to the plan, the two said, "Richard, Candace, Cambia Corporum Meum Corpora Sua Nominavi!"

Whispering to her daughter as her sons switched bodies with the dance instructors, Theresa said, "I was thinking of something along the lines of a spell to make _themselves_ great dancers, but I guess this'll have to do."


	5. Part V

A/N: This didn't really come out as I planned. I wanted to joke around a bit more with Theresa dealing with Alex's powers, but it just didn't happen that way. Oh well, I'm still happy with it and hope you liked it. This particular chapter is so short because it's like "the climax" of the rewritten episode and had to stand alone.

* * *

Part V

While her mother went to tell her father to start the music for the dance, Alex watched as the dance instructors tried to figure out what had happened to them. _My brothers are idiots,_ she thought with an annoyed smirk. _It would've been ten times easier to just make up a dancing spell. Well, whatever._

"W-what is going on?" Richard, in Justin's body, asked.

"I don't know," Candace, in Max's body, answered. "But I'm in the mood to dance."

As if on cue, the music started and her mother stood waiting on the sidelines. "Then why don't you?" Alex suggested, guiding the bewildered instructors towards the dance floor. "Look, there's the Quinceanera girl, just waiting for someone to ask her to dance!"

Shrugging, Candace said, "Alright," and began to salsa over to where her impressed mother and father were standing.

While Alex gave let out a relieved sigh, Richard said to her, "Your daughter is rather beautiful."

Alex blushed. "Oh, thank you –"

"If she were fifteen years older, I would sweep her off her feet," Richard said.

Shivering with disgust at the thought, Alex said, "Dude, you should've stopped at 'beautiful.'"

Richard raised an eyebrow and asked, "Did you just call me…"

"Oh, no time, your turn," Alex said, taking Richard's arm and throwing him into the dance. The dance instructor regained his footing, taking over the salsa from "Max" and beginning to dance with Theresa. "That worked well," she said to herself, grinning. Now all they had to do was get her mother to learn the body switch spell, and all their problems of the day would be solved.

"Theresa, there you are," Jerry said as he came up to "his wife" and put an arm around her. "I feel like I haven't talked to you this entire party."

Thinking of an excuse, Alex replied, "Well, I see you every day, don't I?"

"Ha ha," Jerry said. To Alex's horror, he was about to kiss "his wife" on the lips.

Alex quickly turned her cheek, and, so he wouldn't notice, remarked, "Wow, Justin and Max really learned a lot from those dance lessons, huh?"

"Yeah, I'm proud of those two," Jerry agreed. He hugged her tighter as a tear rolled down his cheek. "I still can't believe my little girl is growing up!"

Alex moved her head in anticipation of him using her shoulder to cry on. Sure enough, the empty space on her shoulder was soon taken by her father's head. "Da-…Jerry, it's okay. So, she's growing up. It's a good thing. Why does it always make you cry?"

At that, he picked his head up and explained, "Because, Theresa, she's my little girl! The little girl who always watched basketball games with me, hung on to my every word, used to love helping me clean out the lair…now she's all gone and grown up!"

"Aw, that's not true," Alex said. "She didn't love cleaning out the lair. She only did it to be around you."

"That just made it worse! She used to want to be around me!" Jerry cried, putting his head on her shoulder again.

Feeling guilty, Alex replied, "She still does…"

"No, she doesn't," Jerry replied, much to Alex's surprise. He picked his head up and made a determined effort not to cry again. "She's growing up now…I've seen it coming but I've just been in denial. She wants to go out with her friends and flirt with boys and acts like it's a chore just to show up to a magic lesson. She doesn't want to hang around her old dad anymore. I'm just the guy who doesn't let her do magic when she wants to."

Now Alex felt tears in her own eyes, becoming choked up as she tried to wipe away tears. _How can he think that?_ She thought, then shook her head. No, she knew. It was her whole attitude towards him, her lack of consideration for his opinion and her willingness to only really talk to him if she needed something or if he was mad at her. She was getting her own life now and she wasn't including him in it.

The emotion overwhelming her, she finally broke down and said, "Daddy, I'll always be your little girl, I promise! No matter how old I get, I'll always want to watch the game with you or help you with stuff in the lair, a-and…I'm sorry! I'm sorry I don't listen to you, but it's just so hard having these powers and not being able to use them when I want! I-I…maybe I'm becoming a woman today, and maybe there will come a time where you're not the center of my world, but…Daddy, I'll always be your little girl."

Jerry stared at her for a long moment, his face transforming from shock, to anger, to mild amusement. Laughing to himself, he said, "I think that speech would have been more effective in your own body, Alex."

"Wha…?" Alex trailed off, then looked down at herself and remembered the spell. "Oh, uh…oops."

With impeccable timing, Theresa walked over, happy from performing the dance. "Mom, Dad, did you see it? It was amazing…what's with you two?"

"Nothing, we were just having a father-daughter moment…Theresa," Jerry said, giving her a knowing smile.

While Theresa stood there in shock, behind her father's back Alex mouthed one word:

_Busted._

* * *

_Review Response:_

_Jake4:_ Yeah, the dance wasn't my favorite part of the episode. To me, it was a little creepy with "Justin" hitting on "Alex"…I mean, I know it wasn't the case, but the way it was acted out just rubbed me the wrong way (I'm probably the only fanfiction writer out there _not_ a Jalex shipper…just creepy to me, lol). The rest of the scene was a little corny to me as well. I much preferred the actual Alex and Theresa switch and was disappointed that there wasn't more focus on that…and there you have the reason for this fic.


	6. Part VI

Part VI

A half hour later, the party was over and the family had gone home. From what Alex could tell, her father wasn't _too_ angry…or else, he was hiding it really well for the guests. The rest of the family went through the rest of the party with a general unease of the punishments to come…well, the kids anyway. Alex had talked to her mother about it, and Theresa was more concerned about the fight she and Jerry would surely be having about her going behind his back.

But Alex had enough of her own problems. While she managed to enjoy the rest of the party, she couldn't help but wonder how long she would be grounded. This was definitely a two or three week-er, maybe even a month. After all, not only did she use magic without permission, she used it to switch bodies with her _mother_, who then ended up with her powers.

She was just thankful that they'd had this as an afternoon party, and there was still an hour or so before sundown. The would have time to try to fix it, with the knowledgeable help of her father.

At the moment, they were all gathered in the lair, since the kids' grandmother was in the house. To get away like this, they'd told her that they were still at the party hall settling the last of the details with the caterers and the hall owners. Instead, the kids were in a line on the lair couch, while their mother sat in the chair across from them. Jerry paced in front of the chalkboard, his arms crossed.

"Uh…Dad? You've been pacing like that for a long time," Alex managed to say, swallowing the lump in her throat. "C-can you just start yelling at us already?"

"Us? Speak for yourself, we didn't do anything wrong. We're out of here, come on Justin," Max said, getting up to leave.

Justin grabbed his brother's on and sat him back down. "Max, I think we need to tell Dad what happened too."

"No, I already know," Jerry spoke up, starting the whole family. "Richard and Candace? They're two ex-wizards and told me about the little stunt you pulled after they switched back. The way I see it, you two are in just as much trouble as your sister, if not more – really, what were you thinking, switching bodies with people you don't know! They could have been humans, magic would've been exposed and you two would be in trouble, big time."

"Richard and Candace are ex-wizards? Wow, did not see that one coming," Justin said.

Alex took in the information, remembering how frustrated she had been when her brothers retained their powers after the switch, and she hadn't. "So, wait…you only take your powers with you when you switch with an ex-wizard? I don't get it."

"You would, if I'd gotten to finish the lesson instead of chasing you down to the mall," Jerry snapped. "Body switching generally has a bad history in the Wizarding world, because wizards used it more times for evil reasons than good. Many wizards began using their power to switch with major heads of government, or other humans with ruling power. That was when the wizard government cracked down and made it so that if a wizard switched with a human, not only would it be ruled as exposure – making the wizard punishable under _magical law_," he explained with a sidelong glance at his sons, who gulped. "But the wizard's powers stay in their previous body. As there are many wizards horrified at the thought of tying their shoes without magic, this rule became very effective. Ex-wizards were exempt from the rule because the switch wouldn't cause exposure to the magical world, and they also have the knowledge to contact the proper authorities and get their bodies back."

Theresa, quiet until this point, perked up at that last bit of information. "So if I can't cast the spell, there _is_ a way to get wizard authorities to reverse it?"

"Hey, I thought you said there would be no way out after sundown," Alex said. She'd done all this worrying for nothing?

Jerry shook his head. "I said they can contact the proper authorities. It's not a guarantee that the request will be fulfilled. The wizard government generally has bigger problems, and only intervenes in a body switch if, like, magic had been exposed because of it, or if a wizard was trying to escape some sort of punishment. They'd laugh at a little family incident like this."

"So I still have to learn the spell. Great," Theresa said with a long sigh.

"Yes, you do," Jerry said. "Which brings me to your," he said, turning to his kids, "punishments."

All three kids groaned at once.

"Hey, you brought it on yourselves when all three of you decided to use that body switch spell. How many times do I have to tell you, you can't use magic without your mother's or my permission. Right, Theresa?" Jerry asked, turning to his wife…who was still in Alex's body, wearing the puffy pink dress…in her seat.

To his surprise, Theresa squirmed under his gaze. "_Well_…"

"Theresa?" Jerry asked.

Worried that her mom would back out on them, Alex pressed, "Come on, Mom! I gave you the Quinceanera you always wanted!"

At that, Theresa nodded at the kids and turned to her confused husband. "Jerry, I…I'm sorry, okay?"

"I can't believe I'm saying this to Alex's body, but…what can you possibly be sorry for?" Jerry asked.

"The kids didn't…exactly…use magic without _our_ permission…" Theresa began, looking down at her lap in shame.

Raising an eyebrow, Jerry asked, "So, what, you _told_ Alex to switch bodies with you? You told Justin and Max to switch bodies with those dancers? I find that hard to believe."

"Yeah! She was the one who told us make ourselves better dancers!" Max said.

Jerry turned to stare at his wife with shock and disappointment on his face. "You did?"

Unable to look at her parents, Alex kept her eyes on her folded hands in her lap. She was beginning to feel something she didn't feel often…remorse. It was killing her that her parents would be fighting because of her. For once, her irresponsibility had caused problems that didn't affect her, yet she was more worried about them than if she herself had been punished. Maybe…maybe she really was becoming a young woman. "Mom…Dad…please, don't fight because of this. It was all my fault."

"Did I hear correctly?" Justin remarked. "Alexandra the Great admitting to doing something wrong?"

Glaring at him for a brief moment, she shook her head and turned back to her parents. "I-I…I cast the body switch spell. Yes, Mom wanted the Quinceanera, but she had nothing to do with me casting the spell…_I_ cast it because I didn't want to have to go through the long, boring party."

"What? But you said you cast it for me!" Theresa exclaimed, hurt.

"Well, I did…talking to Grandma about how much you wanted a Quinceanera first gave me the idea," Alex assured her. "But I wanted to do it to avoid the party…but then, when I cast it and saw how happy you were to be fifteen again…I was happy for you, Mom, I really was. Of course it helped that you were totally cool about the use of magic too."

"Jerry, I wanted to tell you," Theresa added. "But I _did_ decide to go along with it because…because you grew up as a wizard, I didn't! I never got to get into these situations and use magic for my personal gain! I have to admit, sometimes when I see the kids getting into these crazy scenarios because of magic…I'm a little jealous, okay? They get to have this amazing childhood that I never had and…for once I wanted to be a part of it. I'm sorry, Jerry, but when Alex cast that spell, something inside me snapped and I couldn't help myself."

After a brief, stunned silence, it was broken as Max whispered, "Whoa…"

"Mom has a dark side…I'm scared," Justin confessed, causing Alex to roll her eyes.

Jerry, ignoring his children's antics, stared at his wife in disbelief. "Theresa, I…why didn't you ever tell me this?"

"Because…because you're always telling the kids not to use magic, and I thought it wouldn't make you feel any better about giving up your powers if I said I wish I'd had them," Theresa explained, avoiding eye contact with the others as she suddenly became self-conscious.

Sitting there in shock, Alex felt herself finding new respect for her mother. She never realized how hard it must be to live in a house full of wizards yet never experience magic for herself. Alex had a taste of it when she couldn't ask her brothers for their wands, and she had to admit it felt alienating. _Now this is a true _Freaky Friday_,_ she thought with a small smile. "So yeah, Dad, don't be mad at Mom. And hey, Mom, if you want, we can do this body switch thing for fun one day…you can cast all the spells you want, and I'll work at the sub station…"

"Oh, I don't think so. Your free use of magic pass has officially expired," Theresa assured her.

"Plus, there's still the problem of switching you two back in…" Jerry said, pausing to check his watch. "An hour. I don't care if your mother gave you permission or not, all three of you _have_ to get punished for this."

"But Jerry, can't we go easy on them?" Theresa pleaded. "None of it was _entirely_ their fault. Granted, I think Justin and Max switching with those dancers was a little unnecessary…"

"And Alex _had_ to switch bodies with you?" Justin quickly pointed out.

Glancing at her brother, Alex retorted, "_Our_ switch didn't result in the near-exposure of magic to innocent humans!"

"Justin, Max, your sister has a point," Jerry agreed.

Sighing, Justin groaned, "Of course she does."

"I talked to Richard and Candace when they told me about the incident," Jerry continued. "To make it up to them, you two will be spending the next month, three times a week, assisting them around the dance studio…washing floors, wiping down the mirrors, and doing work in the small office they have to the side of the studio."

"Aw man, that's bunk," Max groaned.

Alex didn't dare hope for a lesser punishment than that. So when her father glanced her way, she closed her eyes and said, "Okay, make it quick and painless."

"You, young lady…" Jerry began, with a sidelong glance at his wife, who nodded. "You…will be spending the next month…helping me clean up the lair."

Remembering their earlier conversation, Alex grinned at him. "Really?"

"Yeah," Jerry said. Then he turned to his wife and said, "Now, to reverse the spell…why don't you try it? Chances are, before you were so panicked that you couldn't concentrate enough. When you do, just clear your mind of any other thoughts and only focus on what you want the spell to do."

"Okay, here I go," Theresa replied, standing up and holding out her hands. She closed her eyes tight, concentrating hard. "Theresa, Alex, Cambia…" She hesitated and opened one eye. "What's the spell again?"

"Cambia Corporum Meum Corpora Sua Nominavi!" Her family exclaimed in unison.

Taken aback, Theresa replied, "Alright, I got it!" Resuming her position, she chanted, "Theresa, Alex, Cambia Corporum Meum Corpora Sua Nominavi!" and brought her hands together.

There was a flash of light and Alex closed her eyes. When she opened them…

She was sitting in the chair. Across from her brothers. Wearing a pink dress.

Yup, she was back

"I did it!" Theresa exclaimed, hugging Jerry, who hugged her back. There was a general sense of relief that the spell had actually worked.

"Yeah, Mom, you did it!" Alex cheered, then calmed down as she began to itch her stomach and almost trip over the high heels she now wore. Not waiting for a response, she ran for the door and called, "I am _so_ getting out of this thing!"

* * *

A/N: Wow, that last part came out so much more different than I expected. I wanted it to be this fluffy, humorous scene of Jerry yelling at the kids and it just…_evolved_. But I do like the points I unexpectedly addressed and am satisfied with the final product - hope you are too. I thought I would finish the whole thing by today, but I didn't get a chance to finish off the last "tag scene" ending part. That will probably be up tomorrow. Thanks for the reviews!


	7. Part VII

A/N: Well, here it is, the last part. Thank you to everyone who reviewed (and if I get any reviews for this part)! Consider this the "tag scene" to this alternate episode, lol. Thanks for reading!

* * *

The next night, the Russo family gathered in their loft common area getting ready for dinner. It was Magdalena's last night in Manhattan, and they were making the last dinner special. Theresa was in the kitchen making homemade enchiladas while her husband helped, and the boys were setting the table. "...you know, it's almost a shame Alex and I had to switch back so soon," Theresa was saying. "I managed to get that spell right without even trying much…I think I would've been a great wizard given the chance."

"I bet you would've, honey," Jerry agreed, kissing her on the cheek.

"Yeah, Alex must've gotten her bad student genes from Uncle Kelbo," Justin called over from the dining table.

Giving him a stern look, Theresa chided, "Justin, that's not nice…"

"True, but not nice…" Jerry muttered under his breath. But his wife heard him and elbowed him in the ribs. "Ouch! You're going to make me spill enchilada sauce!"

"Serves you right," Theresa joked. "Roll those enchiladas a little tighter. We don't want the stuffing falling out."

"Yes, ma'am," Jerry replied, concentrating harder when he made his next enchilada.

After setting a place on the table, Max paused and looked up at his mother. "Mom, do you really wish you were a wizard? Sometimes I think it's bunk that you'll never know what it's like to do magic, 'cause having powers is really cool."

"You know, Max, sometimes I do," Theresa confessed. "But then again, I consider myself blessed that somehow I was special enough to marry an ex-wizard and have wizard children. Like, yesterday…what other human gets to have her Quinceanera at age thirty-two?"

Jerry burst out laughing. "Thirty-two? Yeah, and I'm –" He then doubled over in pain when Theresa elbowed him again. "Ouch! Stop doing that!"

"Wait, thirty-two?" Justin questioned, doing the math in his head. "Then that would mean that Mom had me at – "

"That's right!" Theresa interrupted. Taking the hint, Justin shut his mouth and went back to setting the table. Continuing the previous conversation, she went on, "Yeah, having you kids is all the magic I need…"

She trailed off when Alex walked into the loft, loaded down with shopping bags. Groaning, Theresa finished, "And sometimes, that magic is more than enough. Alex! I told you not to go crazy when Grandma took you shopping!"

"Young lady, you are taking most of that stuff back to the store!" Jerry yelled as he and Theresa went into the living room. "Where's your grandmother?"

"Downstairs getting the rest of the bags. There was a _huge_ sale at Aquapostale!" Alex exclaimed with a wide grin. "I got the _cutest_ high tops and shirts and this really nice back pack…"

Her jaw dropping, Theresa exclaimed, "Why would _my_ mother buy you all this stuff?"

"Well, uh…" Alex said. Knowing there would be some explaining to do, she slowly made her way towards the stairs with her bags. "Who knows? Maybe it was something you said!" She then turned and made a mad dash for her room.

Realizing that Alex had swindled her grandmother, Jerry began to get angry as he sputtered, "Bu…how the…what the…"

Angry herself, Theresa joined in and the parents shouted in unison:

"_Alex_!"


End file.
